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- Manyoshu
Yoshinogawa iwa to kashiwa to tokiwa nasu ware wa kayowamu yorozuyo made ni
Like the crags and oaks by the Yoshino River that stand forever unchanging, I will keep coming here, for ten thousand ages.
Ujigawa wa yodose nakarashi ajirobito fune yobau koe ochikochi kikoyu
The Uji River seems to have no quiet, fordable shallows—for I hear the fishermen at their weirs calling for boats, now far, now near.
Ujigawa ni ōru sugamo o kawa hayami torazu kinikeri tsuto ni semashi o
The sedge-weed growing in the Uji River—the current was so swift that I came away without gathering any. I wish I had brought some home as a gift.
Ujibito no tatoe no ajiro ware naraba ima wa yoramashi kotsumi kozu tomo
If I were the fishing weir that the people of Uji speak of in their sayings, I would draw close now, even if no floating twigs came drifting my way.
Ujigawa o fune watase o to yobaedomo kikoezaru rashi kaji no oto mo sezu
"Ferry me across the Uji River!" I call and call, but it seems no one hears me—there is not even the sound of an oar.
Chihayahito ujikawanami o kiyomi kamo tabi yuku hito no tachikate ni suru
Is it because the waves of the Uji River are so pure that travelers passing by cannot bring themselves to leave?
Shinagadori inano o kureba arimayama yūgiri tachinu yadori wa nakute
As I came across the plain of Inano, the evening mist rose over Mount Arima—and I have no lodging for the night.
Mukogawa no mio o hayami to akagoma no agaku tagichi ni nurenikeru kamo
The current of the Muko River was so swift that I was soaked by the spray my chestnut horse kicked up as it pawed through the torrent.
Inochi o shi sakiku yokemu to iwabashiru tarumi no mizu o musubite nomitsu
Praying that my life might be kept safe and long, I cupped my hands and drank from the waterfall that rushes over the rocks.
Sayo fukete horie kogunaru matsurabune kaji no oto takashi mio hayami kamo
Deep in the night I hear a Matsura boat rowing along the canal—its oars sound so loud; is it because the current runs swift?
Kuyashiku mo michinuru shio ka suminoe no kishi no uramiyu yukamashi mono o
How vexing that the tide has come in! I meant to walk along the shore of the bay at Suminoe.
Imo ga tame kai o hiriu to chinu no umi ni nurenishi sode wa hosedo kawakazu
For my beloved's sake I went gathering shells in the sea of Chinu—and the sleeves I soaked there will not dry, however I spread them out.
Mezurashiki hito o wagie ni suminoe no kishi no hanyū o mimu yoshi mo gamo
I would have the one I love come to dwell in my home—and at Suminoe, "the dwelling-place," how I wish I had some way to see the colored clay of its shore!
Itoma araba hirii ni yukamu suminoe no kishi ni yoru to iu koiwasuregai
If I had the time I would go to gather them—the love-forgetting shells that are said to wash up on the shore at Suminoe.
Uma namete kyō waga mitsuru suminoe no kishi no hanyū o yorozuyo ni mimu
The bright clay of the Suminoe shore that we rode side by side to see today—I will come to see it for ten thousand ages.
Suminoe ni yuku to iu michi ni kinō mishi koiwasuregai koto ni shi arikeri
The love-forgetting shell I saw yesterday on the road that leads to Suminoe—it proved to be nothing but a name.